Electric signaling apparatus



(No Model.)

I. W. COLE. ELEGTRIG SIGNALING APPARATUS.

110. 465,991. Patented Dec. 29', 1891. I

A UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK W. COLE, OF. NEYVTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

ELECTRIC SIGNALING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 465,991, dated December29, 1891.

Application filed January 6, 1890. Serial No. 335,980. (No model.) I

To all whom it maywncern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK W. COLE, of Newton, county of M iddlesex,State of Mas-- sachusetts,-haveinvented an Improvement in ElectricSignaling Apparatus, of which the following description, in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like figures andletters on the drawings representing like parts.

My invention relates to an electric signaling apparatus comprising asignal box or transmitter for automatically transmitting a message bybreaking and closing an electric circuit or producing other changes inthe current of said circuit, and a receiving apparatus at a signal-receiving station or stations which is responsive to such changes inthe circuit, and thus makes known at the receiving-station the signal ormessage sent by the operator of the signal-box.

The object of the invention is to enable the operator of the transmitterto send information of different kinds and to cause the message to bereceived upon any desired one of several different instruments, whichmay, if desired, be located at different points or in differentbuildings, according to the nature of the message, which message, so faras the characters or circuit changes of which it is composed areconcerned, is always the same, but has a different meaning orsignification according as it is received upon one or another of thedifferent instruments referred to.

For convenience the apparatus will be described as employed in apolice-telegraph and as adapted to give three distinct pieces ofinformationone, for example, being that the police-Wagon is wanted atthe transmittingbox; the second, that the person at the transmitting-boxdesires to communicate by telephone or otherwise with the person at thereceiving-station, and the third, merely that a person is present at thesignal-box and ready to receive any message or communication from thereceiving-station, but does nothimself care for any furthercommunication with said station. i

It is to be understood that the terms transmitting and receivingstations are merely relative, the former referring to the signalbox,from which the greater number of messages are transmitted, and thelatter to the point or points at which said messages are made known, butthat on occasion messages may be transmitted in the reverse direction,in which case for the time being what has before been called thereceiving-station would become the transmitting-station, and thereverse.

The construction of the receiving apparatus is such that while thedifferent information is received on different instruments and atdifferent places, if need b,eas, for example, some messages beingreceived and calling for a response from the police-station proper andothers being received and'calling for a response from the wagon-house orstable-all of said messages may be and, as shown in this instance, arerecorded by a single telegraphic register or message receivinginstrument. These several effects are attained in accordance with thisinvention by the following means:

While, as before stated, the signal-box produces in all cases exactlythe same currentchanges and transmits exactly the same characters, whichare usually a number-signal that identifies the box and thus indicatesthe 10- cality from which the message is received and at which it is tobe answered, if at all, the said box may be manipulated in difierentways according to the nature of the message or information which it isdesired to impart; and combined with said signal-boxis a switch orcircuit-changer, located at any desired point, preferably at thereceivingstation, which governs several distinct circuits or distinctloops or branches of the main circuit, said switch being operated by atime-motor adapted to run in unison with the motor of the signal-box,and placing the said circuits or loops or branches one at a time andconsecutively in control of the transmitter, and retaining each one insuch control a sufficient length of time to receive the message of thebox if the said message is transmitted at that time, so that by causingthe transmitter to send its message at one or another time with relationto the time-movement of the said switch the message may be received inthe desired one of said circuits or branches of the main circuit, andits proper significance given to it thereby. In other words, the samemessage received in one controlled local or branch circuit has onesignification, and in another branch another signification, and so onfor as many branches as there may be, the signification of the messagebeingdeterminedin part at least by the circuit in which it is receivedand dependingupon the synchronism of movement of the motors of thetransmitting and receiving instruments. Of course every message istransmitted over all parts of the main circuit external to the localcircuits or loops or branches of the main circuit, in one only of whichit can be received, and, if desired, all the messages can be received ona signal-instrument included in said main circuit outside of the loopsby which the significance of the signal is determined.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the main operative parts of asignal-boxortransmitter forming part of the apparatus embodying thisinvention, the circuits and a suflicient portion of the receivingapparatus to afford an understanding of the invention being shown indiagram. Fig. 2 is an additional diagram, showing more clearly thediiterent loops of the main circuit and their controllingswitch; Fig. 3,a detail showing, in front elevation, a portion of the device formanipulating the signal-box; and Fig. 4, a sectional View showing, inside elevation, a portion of the device represented in Fig. 3.

The signal-box A, Fig. 1, may be ofsub" stantially the construction ofthe wellknown sector or pull box used in fire-alarm-telegraph apparatus,comprising a shaft a, acted upon by a main spring or equivalent actuatora and provided with a toothed sector or portion of a gear I), whichmeshes with a pinion or small gear a loose on an arbor c and connectcdwith a ratchet or notched disk 0 that co-operates with a pawl c on agear-wheel (Z. Thus when the arbor aand sector I) are turned inopposition to the stress of the spring m as by a winding arm a which maybe manipulated directly or through intermediate mechanism by the hand ofthe operator, the connected gear 0 and ratchet c are turned withrelation to the pawl 0 without moving the gear (Z, and when the sectorI) is permitted to run back under the stress of the spring a the ratchetengages the pawl c and turns the wheel (Z with it, and said wheel ddrives a further train of wheel-work comprising a pinion (Z fixed uponan arbor (Z provided with a gear (1*, meshing with a pinion that carriesan escape-wheel (1 which, in co-operation with avibratoror pendulum dregulates the speed of movement of the said train when turned by thesector Z). As shown in this instance, the sector I) is of such lengththat by a full movement it can turn the ratchet 0 once arou 11d, so thatthe pawl will engage with the same shoulder of the ratchet that left iton the beginning of the movement of the sector, and thelatterin runningback will thus cause the gear at to make a complete rotation but theratchet c has three shoulders, so that by a third of the full movementof the sector I), the pawl will engage the next shoulder to the one thatleft it at the beginning of the movement, and will thus turn the Wheelcl one-third around, or by a two-thirds movement of the sector thesecond shoulder of the ratchet will be engaged and the wheel d will makea two-thirds movement, so that by differently manipulating the sector,the wheel (I may be made to turn one-third around, or two-thirds around,or wholly around at a single operation of the sector. The gears d and (Zare so proportioned that one-third of a rotation of the gear 01 makes acomplete rotation of the gear (Z so that the said pinion (1 maybe turnedone, two, or three times around according to the manipulation of thesector.

The arbor cZ carries the circuit-controlling part proper of thetransmitter, which will be referred to byth e usual name of break-wheeland is marked 6, said wheel being in this instance a cam-wheel havingprojections or teeth that operate a key or lever f, constituting onemember of a circuit-closer which normally rests in contact with theother memberf but is lifted from contact as each tooth of the wheel 6passes and acts upon a suitable projection or portion of the key-leverf. The box also contains a circuit-closer, controlling a shunt or branchcircuit around the membersff so that when said shunt is closed the saidmembers f f cannot open the main circuit or produce any substantialeifect thereon. The said shunt-circuit closer consists of a stationarymember g and a movable member g which latter is carried by a leverpivoted at g and controlled as follows: The

arm 9 of said lever stands at the side of the sector I) and is actedupon bya projection b carried by said sector, such projection being soarranged that in the last part of the movement of the sector I) to itsnormal position and during a sutficient portion of said movement toproduce one complete rotation of the break-wheel e, as before mentioned,the said projection 1) acts on the arm 9 and moves it to the positionshown in Fig. 1, separating the members g 9 opening the shunts, and thusgiving the break-wheel or circuit-closer f f control of the main line.The movable member 9. of the sh nut-circuit closer is also controlled bya lever h, which, when engaged with the circuit-closer lever, as shownin Fig. 1, retains it open independently of the projection W, said leverIt being operated by a projection d on the wheel at, that accompaniesthe break-wheel and makes one, two, or more complete rotations,according as the sectorb is moved to different points in operating thebox, as before described. Thus if the sector I) is moved far enough onlyto give one turn of the break-wheel, the pin 1) does not leave the arm 9long enough to permit the circuit-closerg g to close, so as toeffectually cut out the break-wheel, which in its revolution causes themain line to be broken intermittently, so as to transmit the desiredsignal. If, however, the sector is moved far enough its next and lastrotation.

to make two or more rotations of the breakwheel, the pin b in suchmovement passes off from the arm g but the shunt-circuit closer is stillkept open by the lever h until, immediately after the sector is releasedby the operator and begins its return movement, the rotation of theWheel (1 produced thereby will trip the lever h and permit theshunt-circuit closer to close and remain closed until in the last partof the movement of the sector the pin 19 opens it, as before described,through one complete rotation of the break-wheel.

The pin (1 on the wheel d is so located that it does not trip the leverh, as just described,

until after the break-wheel has made one.

sage, its function being to start a time-motor.

controlling a switch at the receiving-station, as will be hereinafterdescribed, and the projection b so located with relation T0 the curvedarm g of the shunt'switch that it doesnot open the shunt until after thetooth c has passed the circuit-breaking key, so that the said shunt isopen only up to the moment when its lock h is tripped after the startingof the motor, and then again by the projection b after the tooth 2 haspassed the circuitbreaker, but before the remaining teeth of thebreak-wheel pass and act upon the circuitbreaker during thelast rotationof the breakwheel. Thus, if the sector is moved far enough to give twoturns to the break-wheel the latter produces one break in the maincircuit, and the circuit then remains closed by the shunt during thetime occupied by one rotation of the breakavheel, after which the shuntis opened and the break-wheel produces its intermittent break in theline in If the sector has been moved far enough to produce three turnsof the break-wheel the same breaks in the main circuit would be made,butthe interval of time between the first break and the series of breakswould be that occupied by two rotations of the break-Wheel, and so onfor as many rotations of the break-Wheel as the sector may be made toproduce.

The messages are received at the main or receiving station by aninstrument R, a sufficient portion of which is shown in diagram toillustrate its operation, said instrument being substantially the usualtelegraph-register having its marker controlled by an electromagnet m,which may be included in the main circuit, but is shown as in a localcircuit 4 5 controlled by a relay m in the main circuit, which is shownas including a battery B. The said register has a detentor stopconsisting of members 11 5 which are disengaged at the first movement ofthe register-marker, and permit the paper-feeding train of the registerto move for a length of time equal to the maximum length of time that abreakwheel can be operated by the transmittingbox a, in this case equalto the time occupied by three rotations of the break-wheel. The saidregister-train constitutes a clockwork or time-motor, which actuates acommutator or switch shown as consisting of a contacting-cylinder 7c,the surface of which 4 is represented developed in Fig. 2 and hasnon-conducting portions 10 k arranged as there shown. The surface ofsaid switch cooperates with three springs 01. n a all of which normallyrest on the conducting portions of the cylinder when the latter is atrest in the position assumed when the deteut t' 2' is engaged. As shownin this instance, the springsn n 1]? form terminals of branches of themain circuit extending to different points and including suchinstruments as may be required; but when the three springs rest on theconducting portion of the cylinder It, the latter affords directconnection from one to the other, so that the current is diverted fromsaid branches.

The main circuit and its branches and connections may be traced asfollows: One pole of the battery B connects with the main line 2,extending out to the transmitting-station and connected with one member,as f, of its circuit-breaker, the other member of which is connectedwith the main line 3, extending onto the next transmitter if there bemore than one in circuit, as is usually the case, and finally returningto the main station, where it is connected with one of the springs, asn, that co-operate with the cylinder is of the register. Thebefore-described breakwheel shunt is represented by lines 6 7,connecting the members ff of the main-circuit breakers, respectively,with the members gg of the shunt-circuit closer. The spring n is TOC IIG

connected with one terminal of a loop or branch 8, which, as shown inthis instance, may extend to the engine-house and include anindicating-instrument I, and then extend back, as shown at 9, to thewire 10, which connects with the springn said wire 10 forming a part ofa second branch extending therefrom, as shown at 11, and including anindicatirig-instrument S, from which the said loop or branch returns, asshown at 12, to the spring M, which is connected by wire 13 with oneterminal of the relay-magnet m the other terminal of which is connectedby wire Lt with the opposite pole of. the battery B. from which thetracing of the circuit is be gun. Either branch 8 9 10 or 10 1112 mayextend to any desired point and include instruments of any desired kind.As shown in this instance, the said branch 8 9 10, 'as before stated,extends to the engine-house and controls an indicating-instru ment ormessagereceiver I of any suitable kind at that point,

and also controls a signalinstruinent-for example, a tap-bell andannunciator-drop S'*- which may be at the same station as the registerR, so as to call attention at that station to these signals which affectthe branch 8 9 10. The signal S may be also an audible signal ofdifferent sound or tone from the one S and may be at the same stationwith the register R, and may be understood as a call to communicate bytelephone.

The non-conducting portions 76 of the commutator or switch-cylinder 71;are so arranged that the first portion 70* travels under its spring aduring the time occupied by the first rotation of the break-wheel at thetransmitting-box after the said box is started, and the surface k passesunder its spring n during the second rotation of the break-wheel afterthe box is started if it make more than one, and both of saidnon-conducting portions will have passed through corresponding springs,so that all three of the springs or "n n will rest upon the conductingportion during the third rotation of the break-wheel, if it makes threerotations after the transmitting box has been set in operation, so thatthe transmission of a signal from the box a will have the followingdilierent effects, according as the sector b is manipulated to produceone, two, or three turns of the break-wheel. As before stated, thetransmitting-box makes one break in the circuit at the beginning of thetransmission of the signal. This break in acting on the relay m andregister-1n agnet m releases the detent t' 2' of the register, and thussets the switch-cylinder 7; in motion. If the sector is moved only farenough to make one turn of the break-wheel, the latter will continue incontrol of the main circuit and will transmit its signal while theinsulating part 70 of the switch-cylinder is passing under the spring42, and thus severing the direct connection between the springs a 71 sothat the only path of the current is through the branch 8 9 10, thuscausing the instruments I and S to respond to the message of the wheel,and as the break-wheel finishes its movement by the time that theinsulating portion 7a passed the spring 7t there is no change in themain line, and consequently no effect on the receiving apparatus duringthe remainder of the movement up to the time when it is arrested by thedetent 2' 1' It, on the other hand, the sector of the box has been movedfar enough to produce two rotations of the brealewheel, the registerwould have started at the beginning of the first rotation; but thebreak-wheel would have been cut out by the shunt-switch g 9 during thefirst rotation, in which time the insulating portion 7& of thesnitch-cylinder passes the spring a, and in the balance of the movementof the switch-cylinder the springs n n are connected directly by saidcylinder, and thus aiford a shunt for the branch 8 9 10, whiehis notalfected by changes in the main circuit; but during the second rotationof the breakwheel in which the shunt is opened at g g by the projection19 the insulating portion 70 of the switch-cylinder passes under thespring 92 thus removing the direct connection between the springs n'- nand causing the current to pass through the branch 10 11 12 and operatethe signal S, which would be understood as a telephone-call. If, again,the signal-box were so operated as to cause the break-wheel to makethree rotations, the register beginning at the beginning of the movementof the break-wheel would carry both insulating portions 70 70 beyondtheir corresponding springs 71 02 during the time that the break-wheelwas making its idle rotations-that is, while its shunt was closed, andin the tinal rotation of the break-wheel, in which its shunt is open, sothat it controls the main circuit, the springs n n or would 'all beopen, the conducting portion of the cylinder 7r, which would attorddirect connection from the line 3 and spring n to the spring 11 and line13, so that both branches 8 9 10 and 1O 11 12wouldbe shunted and theinstruments therein not affected. The register, however, responds to allmessages of the break-wheel, and the signal would be recorded on theregister. Thus it will be seen that the same break'wheel, alwaystransmitting the same message, may be caused to transmit the saidmessage into one circuit, as 8 9 10, or into another circuit, as 10 ll12, or into neither of said circuits, and the same messages will beunderstood differently under these three conditions-the first, forexample, being a call for a wagon, and being transmitted directly to thewagonstation, the second being a call to answer the telephone,- and thethird merely an indication that the person is at the box and ready toreceive a signal from the station, if need be.

When the different instruments are in branches of the main circuit, asshown, and the said branches are normally shunted, a portion of thebattery may be in the branches, as indicated at B in the lines 8 and 12,the current of which will normally act locally in the branches 8 9 10and 10 11 12 and retain the magnets of the instruments thereinenergized, and when the shunt for either of the said branches is open,so that theyare thrown into and become part of the main circuit, thesaid battery B will act in conjunction with the main battery B.

Vhen itis desired to give information at the box that the personarriving-at the boxis to communicate by telephone with the person at thereceiving-station, suchinforination can be given by operating a bell tatthe box, (see Fig. 1,) the hammer of which is actuated by the armatureof an electro-magnet 25 included in the main circuit, so as to respondto breaks in said circuit. The armature-lever of said magnet is providedwith a curved arm 15 which stands in such position with relation to aprojection '6' from the segment I) or its shaft a that the saidprojection t mechani- IIO qui red.

cally locks the arbor and prevents the bell from sounding while thesegment I) is in condition to operate the box to which said bellbelongs, and it is only when said box is in its normal state of restthat the said bell can sound. This prevents the bell from responding tothe current changes by the box itself in transmitting asignal, and ifthe bell should sound when the box was opened by the operator totransmit a signal it would show that another signal was beingtransmitted from some other place over the same line, so that theoperator would have to wait until the said signal was finished beforesending his own. If the bell should sound immediately after a messagehad been transmitted by the same box, it would be understood as a callto the telephone or might convey any other meaning, according to anestablished code, although each of the signal-boxes and the main stationwill be provided with telephones, so as to render code-messagesunnecessary.

Figs. 3 and 4 represent a form of actuating mechanism that may be usedto properly manipulate the sector 1), as hereinbefore de-.

scribed, to give it the different operations rearm a connected with theshaft a and extending across a number of pull-slides a a a, eachprovided with a pull hook or handle a workingin aslot in the inner dooror cover Aiwhich incloses the operative mechanism of the box. Each' ofsaid pull-slides is provided with a pivoted catch or dog a acted upon bya spring a" on the pull-slide, which spring tends to throw it out ofengagement with the arm a (see Fig. 4,) and also acted upon by astronger spring a connected with the cover A which, when the slide is inits uppermost position, overcomes the spring a and holds the end of thedog a in position to engage with the arm a The slides a a a may all havethe same length of movement, governed by the length of the slots throughwhich the finger-hooks a work, but are arranged at different distancesfrom the shaft (1 or axis on which the arm 0. turns, the slide a beingtwice and the slide a three times as far from the said axis as the slidea. Thus the complete movement of the slide a produces three times theangular movement of the arm a that the slide a does and twice as muchmovement. as the slide (1 the said slide a moving'the arm a far enoughto cause the segment Z) to turn the ratchet (5 the space between twoadjacent shoulders sufficient in the return movement of said segment tocause the break-wheel to make one complete rotation, as before stated.The slide 0 causes the break-wheel to make two rotations, and the slidea causes the break-wheel to'make three rotations, producing the effectsbefore described.

It is not essential to the invention that the different circuits 8 9 10and 10 11 i2, controlled by the switch is, should be branches or loopsThe said mechanism comprises an of the main circuit or should become apart of the main circuit if the signal is to be transmitted into them;but such construction is considered to be desirable. as in that case theoperation of the main line depends upon the loop being in workingcondition, so that it will be certain that if the message is received bythe relay m and the register R that said message must also have beentransmitted through the instruments in circuits 8 9 10 or 10 ll 12,provided that the message was transmitted at the proper time to passinto one or the other of said circuits.

1. A signal-box or transmitter comprising a break-wheel andactuating-motor therefor having different ranges of movement capable ofproducing different numbers of rotations of said break-wheel at eachoperation of the box, and governing mechanism by which the last rotationonly of said break-wheel operates the circuit, combined with areceivinginstrument comprising a time-motor or clockwork andelectro-magnet controlling the same,

whereby the said motor is started in unison with the actuating-motor ofthe transmitter, and a switch operated by the said time-motor, and oneor more circuits and instruments therein controlled by the said switch,which circuits are successively made responsive to the main circuitduring definite portions of the time-movement of said motorcorresponding to complete rotations of the break-wheel, substantially asand for the purpose described.

2. A signal-box comprising a break-wheeh and actuating-motor thereforhaving difierent ranges of movement capable of producing different'numbers of rotations of said break-wheel at each operation of the box,a shunt for said break-wheel and switch therein, and actuating devicesfor said switch operated by the break-wheel motor, which cause theclosing of said switch immediately after the motor begins to operate andopen the saidswitch during the last rotation of the breakwheel,substantially as described.

3. The signal-box comprising abreak-wheel and actuating-motor andwinding-arm connected with said motor-train, said windingarm having ato-and-fro movement and said train moving always in one direction duringthe return movement of said winding-arm, combined with a shunt-circuitfor said breakwheel and switch therein, and a part connected with saidwinding-arm that engages the movable member of said switch during aportion of the movement of the winding-arm, and a lock engaging with themovable member of the said switch, and a tripping projection operated bythe motor-train for disengaging said lock, substantially as described.

4. The combination of the break-wheel actuating-motor of a signal-boxwith a signal-operating electro-magnet included in the circuit of saidsignal-box and having an armature provided with a tapping-hammer, and anobstruction to the movement of the armature IIO movable with the saidmotor, said obstruction being in position to prevent movement of thearmature while it is moving with the motor, and beingin position topermit movement of the said armature when the said obstruction and themotor are at rest, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. The combination of a transmitting-instrument comprising a break-wheeland motor IO for rotating; the same different number of times at eachoperation, with a receiving-instrument comprising a motor adapted to runin unison with said break-wheel, and a switch having movable contactsoperated by said motor, and co operating contacts, two of which areconnected with the main circuit, and loops connected with said contactsand receiving-instrmnents in said loop, the said contacts being normallyconnected at the switch and thereby shunting theloops andinstrumentstherein from the main circuit, and batteries in said loops, whereby theinstruments therein are energized when said loops are shunted from themain circuit, substantiallyas and for the purpose described.

6. A transmitting-instrument comprising a brealewheel and motor by whichsaid breakwheel may be caused to make different nuinbers of rotations ateach operation of the box, combined with a receiving-instrulnent andcircuit connecting the same with the transmitting-instrument, the saidreceiving-instrw ment consisting of a time-motor running in unison withthe transmitterbreak-Wheel, and

a switch having movable contact portions operated with a time-movementby said motor and co-operating contacts, two of which are connected withthe main circuit, and one or more loops or branches connected with saidcontacts, said contacts being normally con- 0 nected at the switch andthereby shunting the loops connected with them, and one of said contactsbeing disconnected from the others at the switch during a definiteperiod of the time-movement thereof, whereby the loop connected withsaid contact, which is disconnected from the others at the switch, isbrought into the main circuit, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

FREDERICK \V. COLE.

\Vitnesses:

Jos. P. LIVERMORE, M. E. HILL

